


Love Line

by lateprimrose



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Cafe Owner Jongdae, Crushes, Cute, Fluff, Literally just cute sweet stuff, M/M, Romance, TVXQ Fanboy Minseok
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-26
Updated: 2020-04-26
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:21:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,512
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23213203
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lateprimrose/pseuds/lateprimrose
Summary: Jongdae has had a crush on Minseok, a regular at his cafe, for as long as anyone can remember. Jongdae didn't know that an idol group buying an overly complicated drink at his cafe would change and uncover new things (and lead Jongdae to listening to many, many TVXQ songs)
Relationships: Kim Jongdae | Chen/Kim Minseok | Xiumin
Comments: 29
Kudos: 114
Collections: SnowSpark Fest Round One





	Love Line

**Author's Note:**

> Snowspark Prompt No: 369
> 
> Dear Prompter and Reader, I hope you enjoy reading this! I've had a lot of fun writing this and trying my best to include a lot of cute moments. I tried my best to follow the prompt but I might've taken a few artistic liberates and interpreted in a different way then envisioned. Regardless, I hope this story make you smile and is still a good read. This story is named after my favorite TVXQ song 'Love Line', which is super cute and I feel fits this story sort of well. Thank you to the mods who've dedicated their time and efforts to running this fest and have helped me immensely. Thank you to my Beta, Jess, as well, I couldn't do this without you! I probably would've sunk without your help. That's it~ Enjoy!

“That’s the 49th chocolate brown sugar cappuccino with coconut milk and whipped cream with chocolate sprinkles on top that I made today.” Baekhyun groaned, his loud voice drowning out the soft ballad song that Jongdae loved playing in the background. He was so tired of making chocolate brown sugar cappuccino with coconut milk and whipped cream with chocolate sprinkles on top. The orders were extensive and freakin long and made the start of his 4-hour-long shift seem even longer.

“Seriously? How many of these fans are gonna come here just to try the drink that…. That these, these idols…”

“TVXQ?” Jongdae supplied. He laughed at his friends moaning and groaning over making the overly complicated drink. 

The other day, the members of the popular idol group TVXQ visited their shop to buy coffee, and, for some reason, decided to order a very random and complicated drink. After much debate, Jongdae had concluded the reason they ordered that drink must’ve been because they were either very bored or wanted to torture the staff. 

There really was no sane reason to order chocolate brown sugar cappuccino with coconut milk and whipped cream with chocolate sprinkles on top. 

They would’ve gone unnoticed in the shop had Sehun not been on the shift and casually mentioned that they were famous idols and got their signature as a memento. 

It turned out that one of the TVXQ members  (“Changmin,” Jongdae’s brain reminded him, “the member was Changmin” ) had gone and posted a photo of the drink on his instagram with a caption that stated all the ingredients inside. That’s how the whole ‘TVXQ Epidemic’ happened at their cafe. The idols posted a single picture and the fans (amazingly) managed to find exactly where they ordered the drink. Now, many fans of the group were coming to the store and ordering TVXQ’s ‘drink’. 

Well at least he wasn’t  the one  making them. Being the boss has its perks after all and that’s making your employees get the hard, overly complicated drink while you watch.

“Yeah, that TVXQ group! I don't want to make another one of those chocolate cappuccino for those fans today!” 

“I don’t know. It's sort of cute that the fans are following them and want to try the same drink as their idols,” Jongdae said with a teasing smile. Jongdae wasn’t ‘so’ mean as to make Baekhyun do ‘all’ the orders but since the stream of customers was very slow currently, right after the morning rush but before the lunch rush, why not? Baekhyun's suffering was highly entertaining to watch (and also a form of payback to all the hardships and teasing Baekhyun has put Jongdae in).

“You're not the one making them, meanie. This is an abuse of power,” Baekhyun remarked indignantly. Jongdae just laughed as he went into the storage to grab more chocolate, whipped cream, and sprinkles; they’ll definitely need more. 

Baekhyun continued, “It’s cute until you realise ’you’ have to prepare the overly complicated and specific drink with like a thousand modificati-”

“It's only 5 modifications,” Jongdae cuts in

“Whatever, Jongdae. What are the chances someone will order a normal cappuccino one of these days?”

“There, there. Don't be down just because you can’t seem to charm the pants off anyone since they are too enamoured with their Changmin-oppa and Yunho-oppa. Can't wait for the next order, Baekhyunnie. You’re making it.”

“Jongdae, you’re dead.”

“I’m your boss,” replied Jongdae with a sweet saccharine smile on his face. Baekhyun just scoffed. “I just know that the next person walking through the doors will order TVXQ’s drink, Baekhyun,” Jongdae continued. Teasing Baekhyun was thrilling.

Beakhyun’s eyes suddenly lit up and he had a sly smile on his face. He dropped the cloth he was using to clean a bench. He turned to face Chen directly with his lips curled up into that smile that Jongdae knew all too well.

“Bet, if the next person through that door orders another one of those TVXQ drinks, I'm gonna buy you lunch for the rest of the week.” 

Jongdae stared at Baekhyun. His good friend and employee had just challenged him to a bet and who was he to back down. 

“Are you sure Baek? I don’t want your heart to get hurt when you lose,” Jongdae said with a sweet smile

“I freakin am,  _ boss,” _ replied Baekhyun as he grinned. He looked back at his work, satisfied with the cleanliness of the bench. “I know I'm gonna win, Jongdae.” 

Baekhyun and Jongdae always had friendly bets with each other while trying to drive the boredom of long quiet shifts away. Not a whole bunch of people went to the coffee shop in between the morning and lunch rush, usually just some familiar regulars in the area who always dropped in around this time or lost tourists who stumbled upon the cafe. The two usually just teased and played with each other as they worked on mundane tasks around the shop.

Jongdae was just a few minutes into checking the inventory when suddenly the bell at the front of the shop chimed.

_ Ring.  _

With the bet fresh in his mind, he made his way to the counter where Baekhyun was stationed.

“Ooo, looks like you’ve lost Jongdae. Your regular lover boy is here,” Baekhyun said as he gave a sideways smile, signalling with his eyes towards ‘lover boy’. 

It was common knowledge amongst all the regular employees that their boss had a  _ little  _ crush on the cute regular that always visited around this time. No matter how hard Jongdae tried to deny his crush, he couldn’t help but blush whenever they talked about Minseok. His employees had noticed the heart-shaped eyes he always sent Minseok's way. His many friends that worked or visited his shop regularly never failed to tease him and Baekhyun was no exception to the rule

“Well, I’ll leave you to it. I know you want to serve him. Looking forward to lunch later,” Baekhyun said while giving Jongdae a supportive pat on the shoulder before walking away to the other side of the counter and getting ‘busy’, also known as discreetly watching the interaction between the two and taking notes to tease Jongdae about it later.

Jongdae sighed. He was screwed and he knew he was gonna lose the bet with Baekhyun. Everyone knew that Minseok never ordered anything other than his usual. But at the same time, his heart skipped a beat like a love sick fool (that's because he was one) as he saw Minseok approaching the counter. He was simply one of the most attractive people Jongdae had ever seen but that wasn’t all. Minseok never failed to make Jongdae’s days in the cafe a little brighter whenever they had short passing conversations with each other. He had the cutest cheeks and the prettiest eyes. Everything Minseok touched, wore, or even breathed on became a thousand times more appealing. Minseok was just the sweetest being in Jongdae’s eyes. He just couldn’t help but have a little (big!) crush on him.

The cold weather meant that Minseok was dressed in a thick padded coat; a light pink from the chilliness outside dusted his checks. Despite how normal the clothing Minseok wore was, Jongdae was just so enamoured and mesmerised by it - he thought the mundane padded coat became a thousand times more attractive and appealing when Minseok wore it. He made a mental note to buy some padded clothing later as he smiled at Minseok, getting ready to serve him.

“Good morning, Minseok. Nice to see you today.”

“Hello, Jongdae,” Minseok said with a smile full of teeth. He really was going to be the death of Jongdae. “It’s really cold outside today but it’s so warm here inside your shop.” 

“It’s chilly today, isn’t it? Make sure you stay warm so you don’t catch a cold,” Jongdae replied with genuine concern. In the back corner, a snigger could be heard coming from Baekhyun at Jongdae's pathetic attempts at flirting.

“Your usual today Minseok?” Jongdae asked as he already started to type in the order. It was a customary question; Minseok always said ‘yes’ almost immediately. Jongdae's mouth was running on autopilot at this moment as he started to key in the order.

“That will be $4.00, thank....you?” Jongdae stopped typing and looked up at Minseok. Minseok was looking down and fiddling with his sleeves. His eyebrows were furrowed, looking unsure. 

“Minseok? Are you alright?” Jongdae asked with worry. Something was bothering Minseok; why does he look so nervous and jittery?

“Well...you see..” Minseok started, fidgeting more, “I just saw online that, that…’ Minseok's voice trailed off and became inaudibly soft.

“What was that?” Jongdae prompted in a gentle voice. Why was Minseok getting so antsy? “It’s okay, just tell me.”

“IheardthatTVXQcamehere,” Minseok blurted out. 

TVXQ

TVXQ    
  
TVXQ

The name of the idol group kept on echoing in his mind . Minseok was a fan?!?! 

At this current moment, Minseok was blushing like crazy, his eyes turned downcast. Jongdae had the strong urge to just reach his hand out and tell him he doesn’t have to be that shy when talking to him about being a fan. Honestly, fans of TVXQ had been coming to his shop all day and one more isn’t gonna make a difference (but, honestly, this is Minseok so it makes all the difference). 

“Ah, TVXQ. They came here the other day and bought drinks from our shop.”

“Really?” Minseok asked as he looked up at Jongdae with full doe-like eyes; like a child opening a present. It should be illegal to be that cute.

“Seriously!” Jongdae replied, smiling brightly at Minseok’s adorable display.

“Then... can I get one of my usual and one of whatever TVXQ ordered?”

Jongdae quickly keyed in the order and started to make the drinks Minseok requested. 

“Here you go~”

“Thank you, Jongdae.”

“You know, you don’t have to get all crazy shy and blushy. If you want to ask anything, just ask me. I don’t bite.”

“I know that,” Minseok stared up at the ceiling, rocking back and forth before turning to face Jongdae. “You’re such a nice guy but some people don’t take it kindly that I like boy groups and all. Plus being an adult. Even though TVXQ are legends, sort of jealous that they came here and you got to see them and get their signature.”

“TVXQ is pretty cool.” At least Jongdae hoped so. He had seen countless fans come in today just because of a drink these idols ordered. He hoped that they, at least, had some reasons as to why they were so enamoured. 

“Just pretty cool? They’re more than that! You should definitely give them a listen. They’re the coolest and—“

Jongdae just stared fondly at Minseok’s eagerness to talk about TVXQ. How good are they that Minseok becomes all giddy, cute, and sweet? Chirping like a chipmunk. Minseok was talking like a lovesick fool, his eyes in a daze (and Jongdae was staring back at him with a face all the same, for more or less the same reason).

“-and, what time is it?” Minseok suddenly gasped out of his trance. Flipping his watch up “Ah! I got carried away, I have to go now, see you later,” he said, smiling at Jongdae with all teeth.

“See you later, Minseok,” Jongdae waved bye at Minseok as he scurried out.

The door shut with a bang and the temperature seemed to drop. The warmth and brightness Minseok brought with him leaving at the same time.

“ _ It’s chilly today, isn’t it _ ?” Baekhyun walked up to Jongdae and slung an arm around his shoulder. “ _ Make sure you stay warm so you don’t catch a cold, _ ” mimicking what Jongdae said to Minseok in a sickeningly lovesick tone. Baekhyun muffled his little giggle into Jongdae’s arm. “Might as well go up and confess your love for him if you’re gonna sound that domestic and whipped.”

“Shut up, Baekhyun!” Jongdae squeaked, blushing as red as a tomato. “I’m not whipped. I’m just concerned about his well being. I don't want him to get sick,” Jongdae said while slapping Baekhyun’s arm off him and turning away from Baekhyun, definitely not to hide his face that was growing hotter.

“Your red, blushing face says otherwise but if you say so Jongdae.” 

_ ‘Damn. Baekhyun and his keen eyes,’ _ Jongdae groaned internally. 

“Whipped~”

“Shut up Baekhyun, I still won the bet,” Jongdae countered, turning back to Baekhyun. He can’t just stand here and let Baekhyun tease him to hell. ”Looking forward to lunch this week.” 

“Shit, I was hoping you forgot about that in your lovesick bout,” Baekhyun mumbled, grumbling under his breath.

“I wanna eat lunch at the Japanese place, Baek. Thanks!” 

More moans and whines were heard in Baekhyun's direction.

Jongdae still couldn’t fathom that Minseok actually was a fan. He even sounded like a really big fan by how he talked about them. His eyes lit up in a way Jongdae had never seen before. It was magical, and some part of him wanted those eyes to light up bright at him.

* * *

“What the heck are you listening to, Jongdae?” Baekhyun exclaimed as he walked into the cafe for his shift the next day, his tone playful and teasing. Jongdae jumped an inch at Baekhyun’s sudden loud voice.

Wafting through the air wasn’t the sweet or sad sounding ballads that Jongdae loved and always played and listened to while in the cafe (he’s the boss, he plays what he wants) but a song with a strong and fast beat - more of a dance song. Jongdae was sitting behind the counter, his shoulder hunched over his phone connected to the Bluetooth speaker. Baekhyun grabbed Jongdae’s phone quickly before Jongdae could react and he looked at the screen.

“What?!” Baekhyun yelled in surprise, “I honestly should’ve expected this though.” Playing on the screen was a TVXQ music video, the idols dancing on the screen. “You’re so head over heels for Minseok,” Baekhyun teased with mirth in his voice. 

Jongdae was blushing from head to toe, slightly embarrassed at being caught by Baekhyun watching idol videos just because his crush happened to like them. In all honesty though, Jongdae had been watching and listening to TVXQ videos ever since Minseok revealed he liked. To be honest, Jongdae thinks they are pretty good. The dancing was mesmerising, cool, and very good (and hot; very, very hot). The singing and harmonies were simply amazing; it was no wonder Jongdae was sold on their discography in no time (maybe Minseok liking them as well played a small part).

“The songs are good,” Jongdae reasoned with Baekhyun. The song ‘Rising Sun’ was playing in the background. Baekhyun shot Jongdae a look. “Maybe Minseok plays a little reason in why I’m listening to them.” Baekhyun's eyes continued to stare dead at Jongdae. “Okay, maybe a lot of reasons why,” Jongdae said in defeat. 

“I just wanna know him a little better. We don’t really know each other. We see each other for 5 to 15 minutes a day, and though it’s a blessing those minutes are, I want to know him better,” Jongdae whined and complained

“Just ask for his number, you two have been talking to each other for awhile now, Jongdae.”

“Noooooo~ I can’t what if I-”   
  


_ Ring _

“Speak of the devil,” Baekhyun whispered. Minseok was walking in.

“Is this Rising Sun!” Minseok exclaimed when he arrived at the counter. “Oh my gosh, why are you playing Rising Sun?!”

Jongdae tilted his head, confused and startled at the very sudden interrogation and the realisation that Minseok was here.

“I was... listening to it?” Jongdae replied slowly, unsure of his own words. At this point, Baekhyun had excused himself to go change for his shift (and give the two privacy).

“You decided to listen to TVXQ?! Oh my gosh!” Minseok leapt and grabbed Jongdae’s hand “Thank you! Is it good? It's good right?”

“The songs I’ve listened to have been pretty good so far,” Jongdae said very slowly. His eyes were fixated on Minseok's hands that held his, right in front of him. He was staring and could feel the heat creeping up his back. The skin contact burnt. Their eyes met, Minseok’s eyes slowly crept down their joined hands and he quickly pulled back his hand.

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to touch you without asking first. I’m just excited!”

“It’s fine, I get it.” There was an awkward air between the two. Minseok ordered his usual drink (not the atrocious drink that TVXQ ordered) but there was still the silence between them. Jongdae bit his lip, looking over the coffee machine at Minseok who was waiting at the counter. He couldn’t just leave it like this. Jongdae wasn’t even mad at him for the slightly awkward moment. If it stays like this... what if Minseok never comes back to his shop? That would be a nightmare.

“TVXQ is pretty cool,” Jongdae said, attempting to start a conversation and make amends. “I’ve only listened to their hits and most popular discography, but their music is really good.”

“It’s good isn’t it?” Minseok gave a small smile, “I’ll be honest, you’re one of the first people who has actually given a listen to TVXQ after I recommended it to them. Most people just brush my love for their music as me being a crazy fanboy but it’s genuinely good, right?”

“Definitely. I’m gonna try to listen to more of their music once I get home tonight,” Jongdae finished Minseok coffee. 

_ ‘Shoot your shot,’ _ Jongdae said to himself in his head,  _ ‘Be proactive and ask questions to get to know Minseok better.’ _

“Any recommendations?”

“Yes, 100%! There are so many good songs, I can write you a list for next time we meet!”

Minseok suddenly went silent, he seemed to ponder for a second, his brows furrowed in thought.

“Do you have a marker?” he asked

“No I don-”   
  


“Yes you do, here you go,” Baekhyun swept in passing a black marker which Jongdae recognised as the permanent marker used to tick off stocks. 

Minseok smiled and thanked Baekhyun as he left. Being the person Baekhyun was, he gave Jongdae a discreet wink before he left. 

“Give me your arm,” Minseok demanded, his voice straight and serious. Jongdae was slightly tentative about handing his arm over with Minseok sounding like that (not that it wasn’t hot in its own way but still).

Jongdae slowly passed his arm over the counter towards Minseok. Minseok grabbed his arm, holding it in place as he uncapped the marker and started writing. Jongdae was almost too scared to look at what Minseok was writing in his arm.

“There, now I don’t have to write you a list to bring next time we meet,” Minseok said with a smile, closing the marker with a small popping noise.

Jongdae looked at his arm. A neat string of numbers was written on his arm. Is this what he thinks it is? Is this Minseok's number? 

“Text me tonight once you get home. We can chat about TVXQ and other things. I wanna get to know you better,” Minseok was positively beaming when he said that. He grabbed his coffee off the table. “See you, Jongdae, make sure to text me tonight.” 

And then Minseok left. Jongdae was stunned at the sudden turn of events; he was speechless. He couldn’t wrap his head around the fact that he went from not having Minseok’s number minutes ago to having it written on his arm.

“Look who has his crush’s number now!” Baekhyun waltzed out, making his way over to Jongdae, looking at the number on his forearm.

“Baek, I can’t believe,” Jongdae gasped, “I have his number and he asked me to text him!” Jongdae was 100% freaking out now, once his brain was back in his head. “How do I text him? How do I text him?!” Jongdae turned to Baekhyun.

“Simple - you open the messenger app on your phone, key in his number, write a message then press send,” Baekhyun replied

“Not funny,” Jongdae deadpanned. “ I mean seriously, how can I text someone like Minseok?”

“With words, Jongdae. Look, there's no need to freak out over this. Minseok gave you his number. That means he wants you to text him. Don’t overthink it and just send him a ‘hi’ or something.”

“ _ But Baekhyun _ ~” Jongdae whined.

“No buts,” Baekhyun replied. “Just do it. You can do it.”

Jongdae took a deep breath to try to calm himself. He  _ can’t  _ do this. He had been hopelessly chatting to Minseok as his regular for months now. Suddenly having to text him was too much (but it was all the advancement in their relationship that Jongdae could hope for).

* * *

Jongdae was lying on his bed later that night after washing up and closing up shop with his phone in his hands as he was stuck on a ‘New Conversation’ page with the recipient boxed filled with the string of numbers on his arm. Jongdae was positively sweating while trying to write a message (as he has been for the past 30 minutes he's been stuck on the screen). Deleting and rewriting the message over and over again, trying to find the perfect words to start the conversation.  _ ‘How have you been?’ ‘This is Jongdae’ ‘Remember the guy you gave your number to today?’ _ Nothing seemed like the right way to start the conversation.

Jongdae groaned and threw his phone to the other side of the bed. Maybe he shouldn’t even text Minseok - just ignore him, get a new job on the other side of town without Minseok who gives him stress and heart palpitations.

Who was he kidding? He couldn’t do that. Minseok was such a sweetheart who didn’t deserve to be ghosted. 

Jongdae grabbed his phone and flopped back on to his bed. It doesn’t matter what he says as long as he says something.  _ ‘You only live once,’  _ Jongdae mused to himself as he mustered up the courage to just roll with whatever popped into his head as he sent the first message to Minseok.

_ ‘Hi Minseok, I hope you remember giving your number to me!’ _

And sent. Now, the waiting begins.

* * *

Jongdae checked his watch.  _ ‘12.25,’ _ it read. 5 minutes till the scheduled time. He just arrived at the meeting spot he had established with Minseok the night before, the train station exit closest to his cafe. Jongdae shot Minseok a quick message about his current location and that he was currently waiting for him. 

Texting with Minseok over the past few nights had definitely been an experience. Texting Minseok made Jongdae feel like a young, shy teenager with his first crush. After the shyness and awkwardness faded away, it was a bout of giggles. It never failed to make Jongdae feel happy and giddy. More than once, Jongdae had been texting Minseok while out in public and sprouted into a fit of little giggles, gaining more than a few weird looks from people passing by.

The two definitely did talk about TVXQ. Songs Jongdae ‘ _ just had to listen to,’  _ as phrased by Minseok, choreography, favourite moments and pictures of the members (Jongdae had definitely been on the receiving end of more than one of Minseok’s gushing rants on how hot and well defined Changmin’s abs were, how  _ freakin cool and hot he was while dancing _ ).

It wasn’t only that though. The two definitely bonded and got to know each other over other topics as well like a love of cafes and cute cat memes and pictures. The two just clicked and it just spiralled into texting each other good mornings and asking each other how their days went.  _ ‘Utterly domestic and sweet,’ _ Jongdae mused. 

Now, the two are gonna meet up for the first time outside of the constraints of Jongdae’s cafe. How Jongdae secretly wished and hoped that this could be a  _ date _ date _ ,  _ not just a  _ friend  _ date.

Jongdae sighed at the thought and kept flipping through his phone while waiting for Minseok to show up. He opened new article without any aim to actually know-

“Boo!” two hands suddenly pounced on his shoulders. Jongdae jumped almost swinging his arm around to the person that startled him.

“Oh my gosh! Who-” Jongdae turned around and his eyes fell on Minseok standing behind him in all his glory with a sly smile on his face.

“You scared me,” Jongdae started laughing as he fell in defeat. “ Why- why did you do that?” walking up to Minseok and grabbing his arm as he tried to stabilise himself.

“Hi, Jongdae,” Minseok said with a small giggle. “Let’s go now,” Minseok turned on his heels and walked away.

“Hey! You’re just gonna leave me like that after scaring my pants off?” Jongdae got his bearings and jogged to catch up to Minseok who was walking the opposite direction from Jongdae’s cafe.

Minseok was smiling as Jongdae caught up, and as soon as Jongdae got a glimpse of Minseok’s face, he was smiling too. 

“Seriously, why must you scare me like that?”

“I just wanna see how you’ll react. It’s entertaining, don’t worry about it.”

“Entertaining you say,” Jongdae said. “Where are you taking me anyways, Mr.-It’s-a-surprise-where-we-are-going?”

“That’s the point. It's a surprise,” Minseok teased while doing jazz hands, looking at Jongdae with glee. Jongdae just gave him a deadpanned look, his facial facade looking highly unamused but deep inside he was thrumming with excitement. Where could Minseok be taking him? Anticipation was killing him.

It wasn’t much sooner that the two arrived at the place Minseok planned. They arrived rather quickly; actually, just about 2 minutes away from the station.

“And we’re here,” Minseok gestured to the shop in front of them. Jongdae looked at it and it didn’t take long for him to piece two and two together about what the shop in front was. It was another cafe. Why would they go to another cafe? Right about where Jongdae’s cafe was, even. One of Jongdae’s competitors due to proximity.

“Why are we here Minseok?” 

“Shhh, it’ll be all explained in due time,” Minseok put a finger to Jongdae's lips while using his other hand to open the door.

The cafe was quaint. It was really cute with the little green planets everywhere and the cats drawn on pots. There seemed to only be one employee, cleaning the benches and tables, and a customer in the far corner. What really hit Jongdae was the song playing in the background.

“This is... this is Love Line!” Jongdae exclaimed. 

Out of the many TVXQ songs Jongdae had listened to, Love Line was one of the standouts. It was different, easy going and chill. Somehow they managed to make the song cute, cool, elegant, and suave all at the same time (coffee, clouds, and cereal should be made illegal). Whenever Jongdae listened to the song, he just felt good and he could relate marginally to the song.  _ ‘Him and Minseok,’ _ he thought. 

“It’s one of my favourite songs!” Jongdae beamed as he turned to Minseok.

“I know,” answered Minseok. “You're absolutely whipped for this song. I don’t even understand why,” he teased Jongdae. 

“How can one not be! Firstly, the concept and the aesthetic of the music video itself deserve a 10. The vibe is just so chill and-” Jongdae froze, he realised that the two of them were two grown ass men standing right infront of the door in the middle of a coffee shop and  _ he  _ was talking quite passionately about a boy group. Jongdae was getting redder by the second. Sure, no one was really in the shop and Minseok would 100% not judge but he was so loud talking about idols. Was he perhaps passionate about them now? Jongdae could feel himself getting so red you could probably put a tomato in front and he would blend in.

Minseok was giggling now, most definitely at Jongdae's red face. 

“Cute,” Minseok said just under his breath as he turned away from Jongdae’s blushing mess. Despite how inaudible it was, Jongdae's keen ear picked it up.

“Did you just call me cute?”

“Yeah, I did. What about it?” MInseok replied

“I’m not the cute one! You are!” Jongdae argued back. “You're the one sending me photos of you and your cat. When I look at them, I can't tell who’s more cute, you or Tan?”

“But, you're the one that sings cute songs when we’re both sleepy during our nightly calls!”

The two just gazed at each other with resolve. One second, two second, three. Then they both just bursted out laughing and giggling. Jongdae swears he heard a snigger from behind the counter at the display of their antics. 

“Come on, Jongdae. We have to order sometime in the future.”

The two get to the counter and Minseok orders for the two of them, making light conversation with the employee who Minseok referred to as ‘Chanyeol’. Jongdae offered to pay for the two of them but Minseok replied by saying not to worry right now about the payment. The two grabbed their drinks and took a seat next to each other on a loveseat towards the back of the cafe.

“So, you might be wondering why i brought you to this cafe when you already obviously have one of your own,” Minseok shifted his body to face Jongdae. “Ask me where I work,” Minseok prompted Jongdae. 

Jongdae raised his eyes as he replied, “Where do you work?”

“Here, I work here. I own this place.”

Jongdae just stared at Minseok, speechless. He had always assumed that Minseok was probably an office worker or something of that kind. But a cafe owner? Much less one that was literally a 4-minute walk from his own cafe?   
  


“Do you remember our first meeting?” Minseok asked.

Jongdae nodded his head. How could he forget? It was when he first fell for Minseok. Head over heels in no time flat. They met precisely one week after he opened the store, still new and blossoming.

“Well, I first went to your store because Chanyeol,” he glanced at the man behind the counter, “kept egging me to meet and scope out the new competition on the block. I honestly couldn’t care less as long as we had customers but to appease him, I went. I bought a coffee at your store and that was supposed to be it.”

Jongdae could hear a  _ but  _ practically coming. What Minseok just said addressed why he came to the cafe in the first place but not why he kept coming back everyday for a whole six months after.

“Why...why did you keep coming back though?”

“I went initially because of Chanyeol but afterwards… it was because of you.” 

Silence.

“Your laugh on that day, the way you casually chatted to me while you were making my drink. I was so enamoured by you, you were so beautiful,” Minseok looked shyly down towards the drinks on the table. “I kept coming back everyday to see  _ you _ .”

Speechless - that’s what Jongdae is right now. This just had to be something straight out of a fairytale or rom-com. Minseok liked him? Well, he didn’t explicitly say that, but coming to a cafe everyday and ordering a drink when he could’ve very well made the drink himself or asked one of his employees sounded an awful lot like Minseok liking him. Jongdae just couldn’t believe it.

“I like you Jongdae,” Minseok said in a small voice. “I can’t keep quiet about my feelings any longer.”

Jongdae took a deep breath, he had to say it now.

“Minseok, I also have a confession to make. All these months, you’ve been my favourite regular. Everyday, I anticipate you visiting the most. Whenever you come, you make me so happy,” ‘ _ deep breath, Jongdae,’  _ “TVXQ... I listened to them because  _ you  _ liked them; not just because ‘someone’ recommended them but because  _ you  _ recommended them to me. You were simply the cutest while talking about them.”

Jongdae grabbed Minseok’s hand to comfort and convey the feelings he felt (and maybe to ground himself too for the words he was about to say).

“I like you too, Minseok.”

“Lets date,” Jongdae said. “Date me, Minseok. I wanna be with you.”

“Yes, yes, yes! Let’s date! You have no idea how long I have been waiting for this moment!”

“Me too,” Jongdae said while Minseok jumped to embrace him, the two of them falling into a heap on top of each other.

“Can I kiss you?”

“Yes,” Jongdae breathed.

The two were happy. Jongdae’s crush wasn’t so much of a crush anymore and his lover boy? Well, his lover boy was his literal lover now.

* * *

“So, how did the TVXQ drink taste?”

“I’m gonna be honest right now. No matter how much I love them, that drink tasted disgusting.”

“Haha! I would expect so, but it’s partly thanks to them we got together.”

“Yeah, that’s true. The ultimate matchmaker aren’t they?”

**Author's Note:**

> If you've made it this far Thank you for reading my story! I hope you enjoyed reading it. If you did enjoy reading it or just wanna say something, please feel free to leave kudos and comments, I would really appreciate it. Thank you for reading, have a nice day!


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